Food is such a huge part of our everyday life that even when we travel our experience can be made better when we eat well.
In fact, some people travel for food, with the idea of visiting a country to try all its local specialities.
Even more so, guided food tours – whether street food or gourmet – and cooking classes are among the most fun things we can do when we travel, and a great way to actually learn about the culture and way of life of the place we are visiting.
But if asked, are you actually able to point to the African countries with the best food?
Earlier this week, American rapper, Rubi Rose took to Twitter to ask her one million followers what they think are the African countries with the best food, and the responses she has been receiving have been very interesting.
“Who y’all think has the best African food? I say Ethiopia and Liberia,” she wrote.
Who y’all think has the best African food? I say Ethiopia and Liberia
— Rubi Rose (@RubixxRose) August 9, 2022
One thing is for certain: African food is just as diverse as its people. From the West to the East to the North and South, some foods are so delectable that they're worth taking a trip for.
If you are not familiar with African cuisine, it is a mix of ingredients such as cereal grains, vegetables, meat products, and locally available fruits.
The traditional preparation features mostly milk, curd, and whey products in some parts of the continent.
Check out some of the interesting reactions Rubi received.
Cameroon!!...this is just an intro to the vast diversity. pic.twitter.com/GhGkIYE1dE
— 03:30🫶🏾🕊️ (@UsimEl) August 11, 2022
With all due respect to my african brothers and sister, but congolese food is life ohhh 🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/Y8emC5JFtp
— CLEOPETRO (@petronellle) August 9, 2022
You should try South African food pic.twitter.com/l9B8spDj56
If, just like many others, you are looking for an African food adventure, then let us try to explore more about this cuisine and find out why more people are interested to try it.
African cuisine will likely entice your palates because of its colourful presentation with mixed flavours brought about by local ingredients added to each dish.
In a study that was conducted over 20 years in 187 countries across the world, home to 89% of the world’s population, it was observed that diets from Sub-Saharan Africa are healthier compared to diets from other parts of the world because such cuisine contains mostly dietary fibre, with low sugar, fat, and salt.
For anyone looking to explore the wider world of West African food, we recommend first trying kenkey, jollof rice, fufu, chicken Yassa, and egusi.
Here are some of the things you should know about African cuisine.
It's all about what's grown locally
In his television series Africa on a Plate, celebrity chef, Lentswe Bhengu said: “The different African cuisines are directly related to the produce grown specifically in those regions. If you go to Central, East, and West Africa, they use lots of cassava, they have certain types of ingredients that only grow in that area.”
Food and travel blogger Maria Kennedy also highlights the below:
Great for veggies
In a lot of African cuisines, you will notice that there is significantly less meat used in dishes than is common in the Western world.
This means that food is cheaper, and of course, healthier too. If you are a vegetarian, you won’t struggle to find something tasty wherever you go.
Popular vegetables include okra, yams, black-eyed peas, and sweet potatoes as these grow in the high heat of Africa.
Starch is the base
A lot of traditional African meals are centred around various starches with other ingredients added to create the dishes.
Starches are usually something like porridge, grits, cornmeal, or fried bread. The tastes and flavours are then changed, depending on whatever ingredients are added.
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